Top 5 / reasons to rethink mentoring

I am so thankful for the leaders who have mentored me over the years. When I look back on my time in ministry there were so many people who took the time to invest in me and gave me opportunities to lead. I have now learned that mentoring is not an age thing. You don't have to be older to start mentoring. To start the mentoring process you have to look around and invest in the leaders God is placing around you. Here are 5 reasons I think you should be intentional with mentoring...

1. When I think of mentoring I thing of coaching. >> When I mentor someone I build a relationship of significance and I try to pass on what I have learned through ministry and life. That is coaching at its best!
2. When we mentor/coach we set people up to succeed. >> When we mentor we make ourselves available for others. So many times mentors are able to help people see that next step. If nothing else we get to be a voice of encouragement to help others press on.
3. When we mentor someone our past mistakes help future leaders avoid mistakes.
4. When we mentor we connect with model of leadership development that Jesus used. >> yea, this is what Jesus did with those 12 disciples. That was simply mentoring.
5. When I mentor another leader I get to be a small part of the Kingdom of God advancing. >> There is nothing like celebrating a victory with a friend and when it is Kingdom based it gets even better. When my friends succeed I get to be a small part of that through mentoring...I get to be a part of that story.

Top 5 / reason to involve your FAMILY in your ministry

I had the chance to hear Phil Fulmer, former Tennessee Volunteer football coach, speak a month ago. One of the questions he was asked was why he always had one of his daughters by his side after every game. Coach Fulmer said he wanted his girls to feel a part of the program, to understand what their dad was doing during the season, and to understand the responsibility their dad had in leading the program. Chelsea and I have always tried to involve our kids in our student ministry for many of the same reasons. Here are our TOP 5 reasons we choose to involve or entire family in the ministries we lead...

1. Relationships > we want to expose our kids to leaders who will model what following Christ looks like. Our kids have known amazing student leaders like Patrick Willis, Nate Edmondson, Chelsea Henderson, and Emily Eayre (and so many more I just can't name all of ya). Our kids have also been loved on by our great volunteer teams and staff. Their lives are better because of those relationships.
2. Responsibility > we want our kids to understand what dad does at work and how mom supports and advances that mission. When your kids see that they matter most AND you also have a important job they understand the sacrifice when it's work time or travel time.
3. Priority > we want our kids to know what matters...serving is a huge part of our life. If we are going to live life as a family we want them to know the church matters, serving God matters, and that we would do this for FREE. We just happen to get paid to do it!
4. They understand US better > as our kids have been AROUND our ministry environments they have seen us in our element. They have seen us lead, laugh, and cry as we have served. I just think they understand who we are better.
5. Life change > over the years our kids are able to see life change first hand. They get to see that Jesus actually does change lives. We hope our kids get to experience the power of God not just hear about it.

Top 5 / stuff I'm THANKFUL for in 2010

It is the day before Thanksgiving and I am hanging out this morning with my kids and enjoying some vacation time before we head out of town to visit family. I usually do my Top 5 post on Friday but I am about to shut it down till next week. Since it is the day before my favorite holiday I thought I would talk about the Top 5 things I am thankful for in 2010. With 5 things I know I have to leave out some things that have been amazing but that is why it is Top 5 and not Top 25. Here are the Top 5 things I am thankful for in 2010...

• I'm thankful for 15 amazing years spent with my wife >>  We are one month away but Chelsea and I get to celebrate our 15th anniversary this December. I am blown away by the amazing woman God placed in my life. I love the passion Chelsea has for our family and for Christ. Thanks for putting up with me Chelsea!
• I'm thankful for another year with Kozbi and Kelyn >> I am blown away by the depth of my relationship with my girls. There is nothing better than being a dad and every year with my kids is a gift to be cherished. I'm so blessed to be DAD to such amazing girls.
• I'm thankful for our upcoming Kenwood Campus at Grace Community Church >> In just a few months we will launch our second campus at GCC. I am thankful for leadership that is willing to change plans in order to follow God's plan for our church. This is going to be an amazing adventure as we seek to reach our city for Christ.
• I'm thankful for our Family Ministry Staff at GCC >> I am so blessed to get to serve with Katrina Watts, Adam Bayne, and Brandon Reed. We have an incredible team of leaders investing in kids, teens, college students, and parents.
• I'm thankful for the amazing NEXT GENERATION leaders I have met this past year >> seriously I have met some amazing leaders working with kids, teens, and college students across the country this year and it has brought me new hope. Because of blogs, twitter and Facebook we now can collaborate in amazing ways and actually learn from each other. I am thankful for this new avenue of connecting and collaborating.

I would love to hear your top 5...if you have time leave a comment here on the blog or on Facebook. Thanks for taking time to follow my blog and have an amazing Thanksgiving.

Top 5 / reasons I love my KINDLE

I love books and I love to read. I had a hard time deciding to make the jump to the Kindle. I have been an Amazon-aholic for a long time. I am also a Apple fan and I spent many months trying to choose between saving up for an iPad or getting the Kindle. Love the iPad but I could not justify buying a large iPhone for the price I would pay. I have had my Kindle for a month and I am almost done with my first book and have been using it for my Bible reading also. Guess what...I LOVE IT. Here are five reasons I am in love with my Kindle...

1. My shelves are full > I am running out of room in my office after grad school and 12 years of ministry. I also know I will still add books to my librabry but now with my Kindle I will be saving a ton of room!
2. Whispersync > all of my books are available and sync on my iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Kindle. In one month this has already been an amazing feature.
3. Feel > when I read with my Kindle it feels like a book and it is so light. Even out in the bright sunlight I am clearly chill and read. I needed an ereader with the feel of a book and I got it.
4. Notes > the ability to highlight and make notes while I am reading is so amazing. I will not have a highlight sheet for every book I read. The ability to use this feature as a speaker and blogger is so cool!
5. Value > seriously, the best 139 bucks I have ever spent. I use this every day multiple times. The battery lasts for 1 month. I never have to have books mailed to me and most books are cheaper. The new Kindles are packed with features that are easy to use. A great tool that works for my life.

TOP 5 /apps for my phone

Two years ago I made the jump from a regular cell phone to a smart phone. If you read this blog you know I am an Apple guy so of course I went with the iPhone 3g. I am excited about upgrading to the iPhone 4 in 2011but even right now with my 3g I can't imagine life without my smart phone now. I think it has made my ability to stay connected while away from the office so easy. It has also enabled me to take my office anywhere I want and stay plugged in. Here are the apps I love and most of these are available for android phones also. Also I am going to cheat and give ya 6...consider it a bonus!

• Evernote // this is a note application that syncs with Evernote on my mac and online! There is nothing better out there for taking notes then having them available on all your devices. Have an idea...open Evernote and don't let it slip away!
• TweetDeck // love using TweetDeck in order to keep track of the twittervere. It also syncs with what is going down on my Mac and allows me to tweet ideas and share pictures fast!
• Facebook // you know most of our friends are now on FB and these guys have done an amazing job with the app. If I need to get a message to a teen I probably am going to text or FB message!
• YouVersion // an amazing Bible tool and any version I want!
• Kindle // I can read any of my Kindle books right on my iphone and any time I read it syncs back to my Kindle!
• Yelp // at a conference and need to know where to grab lunch...YELP IT...amazing app that allows you to see what people recommend wherever you are in the United States!

TOP 5 / reasons staff members leave a church

We have all heard this when a staff member leaves our team..."God is calling me away." Trust me, I am a pastor who serves from the 2nd chair, not in the lead pastor role. There are reasons staff members change churches. Yes, God does call people away and most of the time God uses "holy discontent" to help people make moves in different directions. Making a ministry move is not a bad thing. I know church members/leaders take it personally. The question many people wonder is...WHY DID THEY LEAVE "US"...WHAT IS WRONG WITH "US? If you want the truth here goes...there are many more unhealthy churches than healthy churches out there. Here are my TOP 5 reasons I see staff members make ministry moves. Please let me know what you think...

1. Disconnection from the "church">> so many times staff members leave because they just do not connect with the vision and direction of their current church.
2. Lack of support >> when leaders lack support from the lead pastor or overal church leadership...when they have an insufficient budget...when they have no hope of ever getting needed space in a facility. Yep those three will do it. When staff members don't feel supported many times they leave.
3. Chasing THE LADDER  >> many times it is just this simple...sometimes staff members are not given the freedom to move into other ministry areas in their current church. Staff members have to make moves in order to go in a new direction...focus on their passion...have more influence. I hate the ministry "ladder" but we know it exists.
4. Burnout >> when leaders place ministry ahead of everything else burnout is on the horizon. So many times staff people leave because they are have been beaten down by the system, wrong priorities, and lack of balance.
5. Maturity >> This happens when a staff leader discovers who they are and who they are not. That powerful combination leads many staff members to new adventures.

TOP 5 / books I have read in 2010

There were some great books that came out this year and some older stuff I have had to catch up on. It was hard to nail down just 5 books and I may currently be reading one that should be on this list but hey, this is a LIST POST so here goes. This are my the TOP 5 favorite reads this year...

1. Linchpin by Seth Godin // great book that helps define what kind of leaders will shape organizations in the future
2. Parenting Beyond Your Capcity by Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof // amazing read about how the family and church can partner for greater impact!
3. Church in the Making by Ben Arment // never read a better book focused on church planting...this is a must read for any pastor. First book to help me understand what happened through our church plant 5 years ago at Grace Community Church.
4. Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni // want to know how to lead a better meeting...this book will help. In fact get every Lencioni book and read it ASAP!
5. Slow Fade by Reggie Joiner, Chuck Bomar, and Abbie Smith // this book inspired our Family Ministry team to totally rethink how we reach college students and pushed us to restructure our staff.

TOP 5 / magazines I am reading

On Fridays I am going to start my TOP 5 series. Thanks for the idea to Ben Reed. Everybody loves a list...ok maybe it is just me that likes a list. Today's TOP 5 are the five magazines I am reading right now that really have my attention. With so much online content I have had to limit what magazines I subscribe to. These 5 are my favorites, there are other I like but these have my full attention. Check our my TOP 5 and feel free to comment on Facebook or the blog and let me know your TOP 5.

• Collide // www.collidemagazine.com // one of my passions is creating environments where people can connect with God. Collide is dedicated to creatives who form environments inside the church. Great resource!

• RELEVANT // www.relevantmagazine.com // This magazine has helped me wrap my arms around "culture" better than any other tool out there. Music, movies, social movements, you name it...RELEVANT has been there trying to help readers process and understand what is going on. Every student and college ministry leader out there needs to be reading this.

• K Magazine // www.kidzmatter.com // As a Family Pastor who has been immersed in student ministry for the past 10 years this magazine helps me get my arms around what is happening in children's ministry. Very progressive, love what these guys are doing!

• Neue //www.neuemagazine.com // Fantastic view into the world of CHURCH MINISTRY as a whole and what is coming next for those of us who lead inside the church.

• Fortune // http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune // This is where the leadership nerd in me comes out. I love the view of the business world I get from Fortune. I know some of you would kick yourself in the head if you had to read it but I really enjoy learning from leaders outside our ministry bubble.